Belly Up to Kenny Floyd at Mellow Mushroom in Anderson

Kenny Floyd will play the two-year anniversary celebration at the Mellow Mushroom.

Kenny Floyd is experiencing a period of transition, but fans of his music and his highly enjoyable live shows have nothing to fear. Floyd is not planning any sort of extended down shift or retirement from music. In fact, he is playing the role of a boxer in his corner between rounds. He's resting up for the next push in his career, carefully sizing up the musical climate around him and calculating his next attack.

Floyd has dialed back his show dates because of a recent move he made from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Charlotte, N.C. The move allowed Floyd to be in a sizable music market and within driving distance of others, notably his childhood home in upstate South Carolina. Floyd will play the Mellow Mushroom two-year anniversary this weekend, which he said will be one of many future shows in Anderson.

"Most Southern boys are hometown boys and I wanted to come home and be home," Floyd said. "Plus, I missed my mama."

Floyd said taking a breather from music is allowing him to play the shows he really wants to play like this special night at Mellow Mushroom. He also has been able to focus his attention on different ways he can reach his fans, most of all with the April release of Kenny Floyd 2.0, the iPhone and Android app that allows fans to listen to his music, view his calendar and share photos with other users.

Floyd said the app is his new take on the concept of a demo. People curious about a Kenny Floyd show can simply pull up the app and sample his music before coming to a show. Even in a market like Anderson where Floyd could get by just on name recognition, he feels the app will still bring even more people to what he is calling "an Anderson County reunion."

"There will be family, friends from high school and friends who have been following the music," Floyd said. "I'll even be experimenting with some HD recording at this show, so the people there might wind up on some live tracks one day."

Floyd said he will play several old favorites like the "boisterous" rock song "Crying Out Loud" and the mellow, beach-inspired "Sittin' Right Here," but he will also debut "I'll Be the One." Floyd said the song easily could be used during a wedding ceremony, but he wrote it while feeling content with his search for new and exciting things in life. Floyd said even though he is looking for potential band mates and deciding how to approach a tumultuous music industry, he still is happy with where he finds himself.

"Music is disappointing right now because I wake up and know I can potentially participate and not be heard," Floyd said. "Do you do it anyway, hold off or just not care? I've decided to just tighten things up and go with what feels right when it feels right."

Kenny Floyd will play the Mellow Mushroom in Anderson at 9 p.m. Friday. The restaurant will feature $5 small cheese pizzas, $2 Terrapin Hopsecutioners and $3 Mellow Mommas from Thursday to Sunday in honor of the anniversary.